Schumer to Force Vote on Trump's Controversial 'Weaponization' Fund

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday that Democrats will force Republicans to vote on a controversial "weaponization" legal relief fund pushed by President Donald Trump.

The fund aimed at compensating victims of what the administration calls "lawfare" has become a political flashpoint on Capitol Hill, sparking rare Republican criticism of Trump from within his political party. Democrats are now seeking to turn that into a bazooka to force Republicans to defend the program or vote to kill it.

"This week, Senate Democrats will launch a coordinated effort to kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door," Schumer wrote in a "Dear Colleague" letter sent Monday to Senate Democrats. "And no matter what Republicans do, we will force them to vote."

The fund helped grind Senate floor action to a halt last month, when Republicans were trying to use the budget reconciliation process to fund a immigration law enforcement agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. Some Republicans told acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a closed-door meeting that they opposed the fund when he came to Capitol Hill to explain it.

It's unlikely that Democrats would be able to block the fund legislatively, unless Republicans join them. But they could force uncomfortable votes for Republicans less than six months before an election.

A Virginia court on Friday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from taking further action to create the fund or disburse money from it.

If Republicans return to the delayed measure this week, it would allow Democrats to bring unlimited amendments.

"If Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down," Schumer said in the letter to his caucus. "If they try to bury the issue, we will force them to the Senate floor. If they try to sneak behind appropriations, we will fight them there too."

Critics, including Democrats, call the effort a "slush fund" that could be used to pay Jan. 6 rioters who attacked police at the U.S. Capitol.

The fund came out of Trump dropping his $10 billion suit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax information in 2019 and 2020. In exchange for dropping the suit, the Justice Department created the $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who say they are victims of what the Trump administration refers to as "lawfare."

"The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department's intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again," Blanche said in a statement when the fund was announced.

″"As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress," Blanche said.